Down the Pub Special – Cage Rage 11 Preview
Pedro Wrobel Apr 29, 2005
Cage Rage is becoming widely accepted as the British UFC and we're
all proud of the two cockney baldies and of what they've achieved.
Although Lee Murray will not
be on Saturday’s card after all, the fortunate thing is that
Murray's return was only one highlight on an otherwise stacked
card. And I do mean stacked.
The relative lack of publicity for this card belies quite how good some of the match-ups are. Anderson Silva, Ian "The Machine" Freeman, Jorge Rivera, Paul "Hands of Stone" Jenkins, Jean Silva and Antony Rea are just some of the names on the card.
I thought I'd offer all my loyal Down the Pub readers the benefit
of my expertise and break some of the matches down for you. Yes, I
realize that I was wrong a lot of the time before. Thank you very
much to George, Robert, Elvis, Spencer and the others for pointing
out my occasional mistaken predictions. I do enjoy receiving
E-mails from readers, but please, lay off the granny porn. It
really isn't my thing.
Right, to business.
I don't mean to disrespect Midoux, who I know less about, but Freeman has looked good since his return to MMA and I don't see him slipping up here. Freeman by stoppage (strikes) in the first round.
In an extremely intriguing match-up, Anderson Silva takes on Jorge Rivera in a battle for the Cage Rage world middleweight title. Rivera is the more well rounded fighter, and the seemingly more focused of the two. If he's on, I can see Silva blasting Rivera but if he's off, I'd say that the Brazilian is in for a torrid night.
In what is effectively a pick 'em, I'm going to play safe and bet on the American. Rivera by decision.
Curtis Stout steps back into the cage after his spectacular knockout win over Sol Gilbert, and this time he faces the lightning limbs of Mark Weir. "The Wizard" has had some tough breaks recently but his obvious vulnerabilities are basically the same as Stout's. I think it's fair to say that neither man is a takedown machine and that unless something goes wildly wrong, this will be decided on the feet.
With the fans behind him, I can see Weir avenging his compatriot's loss and putting Stout out for the count. Weir by KO, early in the second round.
In what some people have described as the "most technical fight" between men called Epstein and Santos, Mark Epstein takes on the Brazilian version of himself, Evangelista "Cyborg." What can I say? The one who goes down first is the fellow unlucky enough to be hit by the flailing limbs of the other.
I think Epstein has a better chin so I'll go with the Beast. Epstein by horrible stoppage, second round.
In a battle of men with French-sounding names, Antony Rea defends his Gallic honor against the fake Frenchman, Pierre Guillet. This is an intriguing match-up. Guillet is a good fighter, but he has had some problems in the past against strong, aggressive opponents and that, unfortunately, is exactly what Rea brings to the table.
Rea's star is rising and I don't see Guillet being able to poop on that party. Rea forces the stoppage in the second round.
Ross "The Boss" Mason steps in for the injured Sol Gilbert in a match against the short, angry Damien Riccio. Riccio is a tough, unorthodox brawler who matches fairly well with Mason's powerful striking. Mason is a beast — technically he is still raw, but he has lots of stamina, a brutal ground-and-pound game and a big, determined heart. Riccio is built of similar stuff, but he also has the experience.
Despite that, I think Mason trumps him on the feet and is strong enough on the ground that Riccio won't submit him, although as Riccio proved against Matt Ewin, it only takes the one punch to finish. Mason by stoppage in the third round.
Paul takes on Paul in a battle of the generations with the British welterweight title belt as the prize. Jenkins has the advantage of experience and Daley has the advantage of youth and strength, as well as preparation. In anticipation of this clash, Daley has spent a month training with Eddie Bravo at the Bomb Squad gym in Hollywood, as well as generally absorbing his Yankee goodness. The history is split evenly between the two as they fought last year, with Daley beating Jenkins by TKO in MMA, and Jenkins taking the decision under hybrid kickboxing rules.
In terms of sheer physical ability, I think Daley has to be the favorite, especially now that he's been training in the U.S. I think the youngster is tough enough and good enough that this is his to lose. However, something keeps nagging at my mind in a Welsh accent and I just don't think you can discount the champ. Jenkins is tough enough and savvy enough that I think he can frustrate Daley en route to a draw.
Lightweight standout Jean Silva comes to the cage in the now-familiar role of justifier. Silva's win against Leigh Remedios at CR 10 was the subject of some controversy, and the Brazilian will be looking to use this fight as an opportunity to erase some question marks that may have taken root in the heads of his fans. He must accomplish this against a fighter who is certainly no slouch. Tom Niinimaki carries a 9-2-1 record, with wins coming by TKO and submission. The Finn was last seen in the UK back in December, at CW9, where he defeated the Brazilian Andres Soares by a convincing decision.
Niinimaki is tough but Silva has a made a habit of regularly going hot then cold and back again. He was cold last time so he'll probably be cartwheeling over Niinimaki's face by the end of this. Silva by stoppage in the second.
The match-up between Henrique Santana and Hassan Muridi could well be the match of the night. Neither of these two is well known outside their respective circles but hopefully after the 30th they will be. Muridi is a powerful wrestler who trains with Ian Freeman and Abdul Mohamed. Muridi's strengths are the predictable ones — he's extremely strong and aggressive, and specializes in grounding his opponents and pounding on their faces. His cardio has been suspect in the past, but word from the North suggests that this has been an area that he has been improving. Santana is a jiu-jitsu wild child who trains with the Ze Marcello/BTT team in London, and whose purple belt does not do justice to his skills. Again, Santana's strengths are plain to see. He is not a good striker or dominant wrestler, but he always comes out with a good preparation and a good game plan.
Santana, who usually fights as a welterweight, will be the smaller man, but something about this tells me that he'll also be the victorious man. If he can put Muridi on his back, then he will win. If he ends up on his own back then it's a race against time to score the submission before Muridi busts him open. I'm going to pick Santana by submission in the first.
Until February, I'd have picked Andy Costello to win his fight. I'd seen the big man fight before and he'd really impressed me as being one of the few genuinely athletic heavyweights active in the UK. He had size, aggressiveness, ferocious striking, toughness and positional dominance. In February, Daniel Burzotta, soft at barely 205 pounds, made Costello look silly. On the other hand, Burzotta is a very different animal to Costello’s opponent on Saturday, Robert "Buzz" Berry, who is even bigger than Costello, and seems to possess little, if any, submissions.
Clearly this isn't going to be like that exhibition match between Royler and Rickson Gracie. More likely this'll be the sort of fight that would not look out of place if you exchanged the cage for a chip shop after closing time. Blood will spill and teeth will fly. And I'm going for Costello, who will not have been happy last time out and will be seeking revenge. Costello by stoppage in the first.
Jess Liaudin, the "funny man" of French MMA, will be taking on Abdul Mohamed in a battle of two men looking to re-establish themselves as contenders in the UK welterweight picture. Mohamed will be the neutral's favorite here since, in theory, he has all the perfect tools to upset Liaudin. Like his teammate Muridi, Mohamed is an ultra-powerful wrestler who tosses opponents around the cage as if he were a tiny version of Zangief from Streetfighter 2.
I just don't think it will go like that. Liaudin is a veteran, with excellent striking skills and good submissions. He's also got a fighter's brain and it's not hard to see the wheels turning. At Cage Rage 9, Sami Berik showed everybody how easily Mohamed cuts, and Liaudin will not have missed that lesson. I think Liaudin will be looking to cut his opponent with strikes standing and from the bottom, and Mohamed will be worried about this. Somewhere in the struggle Liaudin will score an ankle lock of some sort and it'll all be over bar the fat lady's song. Liaudin by submission in the second round.
The full card, at the time of press, is as follows:
Ian Freeman vs. Kristof Midoux
Anderson Silva vs. Jorge Rivera Curtis Stout vs. Mark Weir
Evangelista Santos vs. Mark Epstein
Pierre Guillet vs. Antony Rea
Ross Mason vs. Damien Riccio
Paul Jenkins vs. Paul Daley
Jean Silva vs. Tom Niinimaki
Henrique Santana vs. Hassan Muridi
Andy Costello vs. Robert Berry
Jess Liaudin vs. Abdul Mohamed
Kuljit Degum vs. Tom Blackledge
Brad Pickett vs. Aaron Blackwell
Atilla Kubilay vs. Richard Bowkett
The relative lack of publicity for this card belies quite how good some of the match-ups are. Anderson Silva, Ian "The Machine" Freeman, Jorge Rivera, Paul "Hands of Stone" Jenkins, Jean Silva and Antony Rea are just some of the names on the card.
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Right, to business.
Ian Freeman takes on
Kristof Midoux in the
main event. This appears to be another chapter in the ever-popular
grappler-versus-striker saga and I'll give the advantage to
Freeman. Midoux's big and tough but a glance at their histories
shows that Freeman has beaten the bigger names.
I don't mean to disrespect Midoux, who I know less about, but Freeman has looked good since his return to MMA and I don't see him slipping up here. Freeman by stoppage (strikes) in the first round.
In an extremely intriguing match-up, Anderson Silva takes on Jorge Rivera in a battle for the Cage Rage world middleweight title. Rivera is the more well rounded fighter, and the seemingly more focused of the two. If he's on, I can see Silva blasting Rivera but if he's off, I'd say that the Brazilian is in for a torrid night.
In what is effectively a pick 'em, I'm going to play safe and bet on the American. Rivera by decision.
Curtis Stout steps back into the cage after his spectacular knockout win over Sol Gilbert, and this time he faces the lightning limbs of Mark Weir. "The Wizard" has had some tough breaks recently but his obvious vulnerabilities are basically the same as Stout's. I think it's fair to say that neither man is a takedown machine and that unless something goes wildly wrong, this will be decided on the feet.
With the fans behind him, I can see Weir avenging his compatriot's loss and putting Stout out for the count. Weir by KO, early in the second round.
In what some people have described as the "most technical fight" between men called Epstein and Santos, Mark Epstein takes on the Brazilian version of himself, Evangelista "Cyborg." What can I say? The one who goes down first is the fellow unlucky enough to be hit by the flailing limbs of the other.
I think Epstein has a better chin so I'll go with the Beast. Epstein by horrible stoppage, second round.
In a battle of men with French-sounding names, Antony Rea defends his Gallic honor against the fake Frenchman, Pierre Guillet. This is an intriguing match-up. Guillet is a good fighter, but he has had some problems in the past against strong, aggressive opponents and that, unfortunately, is exactly what Rea brings to the table.
Rea's star is rising and I don't see Guillet being able to poop on that party. Rea forces the stoppage in the second round.
Ross "The Boss" Mason steps in for the injured Sol Gilbert in a match against the short, angry Damien Riccio. Riccio is a tough, unorthodox brawler who matches fairly well with Mason's powerful striking. Mason is a beast — technically he is still raw, but he has lots of stamina, a brutal ground-and-pound game and a big, determined heart. Riccio is built of similar stuff, but he also has the experience.
Despite that, I think Mason trumps him on the feet and is strong enough on the ground that Riccio won't submit him, although as Riccio proved against Matt Ewin, it only takes the one punch to finish. Mason by stoppage in the third round.
Paul takes on Paul in a battle of the generations with the British welterweight title belt as the prize. Jenkins has the advantage of experience and Daley has the advantage of youth and strength, as well as preparation. In anticipation of this clash, Daley has spent a month training with Eddie Bravo at the Bomb Squad gym in Hollywood, as well as generally absorbing his Yankee goodness. The history is split evenly between the two as they fought last year, with Daley beating Jenkins by TKO in MMA, and Jenkins taking the decision under hybrid kickboxing rules.
In terms of sheer physical ability, I think Daley has to be the favorite, especially now that he's been training in the U.S. I think the youngster is tough enough and good enough that this is his to lose. However, something keeps nagging at my mind in a Welsh accent and I just don't think you can discount the champ. Jenkins is tough enough and savvy enough that I think he can frustrate Daley en route to a draw.
Lightweight standout Jean Silva comes to the cage in the now-familiar role of justifier. Silva's win against Leigh Remedios at CR 10 was the subject of some controversy, and the Brazilian will be looking to use this fight as an opportunity to erase some question marks that may have taken root in the heads of his fans. He must accomplish this against a fighter who is certainly no slouch. Tom Niinimaki carries a 9-2-1 record, with wins coming by TKO and submission. The Finn was last seen in the UK back in December, at CW9, where he defeated the Brazilian Andres Soares by a convincing decision.
Niinimaki is tough but Silva has a made a habit of regularly going hot then cold and back again. He was cold last time so he'll probably be cartwheeling over Niinimaki's face by the end of this. Silva by stoppage in the second.
The match-up between Henrique Santana and Hassan Muridi could well be the match of the night. Neither of these two is well known outside their respective circles but hopefully after the 30th they will be. Muridi is a powerful wrestler who trains with Ian Freeman and Abdul Mohamed. Muridi's strengths are the predictable ones — he's extremely strong and aggressive, and specializes in grounding his opponents and pounding on their faces. His cardio has been suspect in the past, but word from the North suggests that this has been an area that he has been improving. Santana is a jiu-jitsu wild child who trains with the Ze Marcello/BTT team in London, and whose purple belt does not do justice to his skills. Again, Santana's strengths are plain to see. He is not a good striker or dominant wrestler, but he always comes out with a good preparation and a good game plan.
Santana, who usually fights as a welterweight, will be the smaller man, but something about this tells me that he'll also be the victorious man. If he can put Muridi on his back, then he will win. If he ends up on his own back then it's a race against time to score the submission before Muridi busts him open. I'm going to pick Santana by submission in the first.
Until February, I'd have picked Andy Costello to win his fight. I'd seen the big man fight before and he'd really impressed me as being one of the few genuinely athletic heavyweights active in the UK. He had size, aggressiveness, ferocious striking, toughness and positional dominance. In February, Daniel Burzotta, soft at barely 205 pounds, made Costello look silly. On the other hand, Burzotta is a very different animal to Costello’s opponent on Saturday, Robert "Buzz" Berry, who is even bigger than Costello, and seems to possess little, if any, submissions.
Clearly this isn't going to be like that exhibition match between Royler and Rickson Gracie. More likely this'll be the sort of fight that would not look out of place if you exchanged the cage for a chip shop after closing time. Blood will spill and teeth will fly. And I'm going for Costello, who will not have been happy last time out and will be seeking revenge. Costello by stoppage in the first.
Jess Liaudin, the "funny man" of French MMA, will be taking on Abdul Mohamed in a battle of two men looking to re-establish themselves as contenders in the UK welterweight picture. Mohamed will be the neutral's favorite here since, in theory, he has all the perfect tools to upset Liaudin. Like his teammate Muridi, Mohamed is an ultra-powerful wrestler who tosses opponents around the cage as if he were a tiny version of Zangief from Streetfighter 2.
I just don't think it will go like that. Liaudin is a veteran, with excellent striking skills and good submissions. He's also got a fighter's brain and it's not hard to see the wheels turning. At Cage Rage 9, Sami Berik showed everybody how easily Mohamed cuts, and Liaudin will not have missed that lesson. I think Liaudin will be looking to cut his opponent with strikes standing and from the bottom, and Mohamed will be worried about this. Somewhere in the struggle Liaudin will score an ankle lock of some sort and it'll all be over bar the fat lady's song. Liaudin by submission in the second round.
The full card, at the time of press, is as follows:
Ian Freeman vs. Kristof Midoux
Anderson Silva vs. Jorge Rivera Curtis Stout vs. Mark Weir
Evangelista Santos vs. Mark Epstein
Pierre Guillet vs. Antony Rea
Ross Mason vs. Damien Riccio
Paul Jenkins vs. Paul Daley
Jean Silva vs. Tom Niinimaki
Henrique Santana vs. Hassan Muridi
Andy Costello vs. Robert Berry
Jess Liaudin vs. Abdul Mohamed
Kuljit Degum vs. Tom Blackledge
Brad Pickett vs. Aaron Blackwell
Atilla Kubilay vs. Richard Bowkett
